Yangju galbi restaurant's ₩19,000 weekday lunch set for four: Manpo

A hidden galbi gem in Yangju I wanted to keep to myself — a review of Manpo Garden's insanely good-value lunch special

Why go back to Manpo Garden in Yangju for a family gathering?

We had a family gathering in Yangju today. Manpo Garden is the galbi restaurant I stumbled onto by chance last spring, and everyone in the family loved it. To take advantage of its excellent lunch special, we came back to Manpo Garden's Yangju location after a while.

• Address: 28-37 Godeok-ro 355beon-gil, 1st floor, Yangju-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
• Hours: Daily 11:00–22:00
• Parking: Very spacious lot in front of the restaurant

Manpo Garden in Yangju has such a wide parking lot right in front that we, having come in two cars, had no trouble parking at all.

Calm and stylish from the entrance onward.

Walking in, the first thing you see is the meat showcase. With Chuseok (Korean thanksgiving) coming up, it might be a good idea to buy some of this quality meat here as a gift.

The interior is spacious with generous gaps between tables, giving it a very pleasant feel.

Even on a weekday, the place was packed with customers. When we first visited on a weekday back in May, the restaurant was pretty quiet, but it seems word has spread fast in just a few months and business has picked up a lot. Honestly, if I lived in this neighborhood, I'd probably come here two or three times a month.

We quietly settled into a relatively quiet table.

What the 19,000-won lunch galbi set at Manpo Garden includes

Manpo Garden's menu board. We ordered the weekday-only lunch special handmade galbi set for four. The price is ₩19,000 per person.

And the spread finally begins!

Side dishes served neatly in brass bowls. Unlike typical galbi restaurants, this place serves unusual and varied sides.

Yukhoe and yukjeon served as standard side dishes

Getting yukhoe (beef tartare) and yukjeon (pan-fried beef) as basic side dishes is really something! I've never seen a value lunch special at a galbi restaurant include yukhoe and yukjeon. This is... way too generous???

The yukjeon is also a really generous size! Definitely not a stingy, tiny portion.

Doenjang sulbap comes with the lunch set too

The lunch special even comes with doenjang sulbap (soybean paste rice)! The doenjang broth is rich and packed with generous ingredients — a very satisfying, filling meal on its own.

Grilling Manpo Garden's handmade galbi over charcoal

Finally, the star of the show — the galbi. This is... real galbi. Not cheap pork neck meat just marinated in galbi sauce, but actual real short ribs!

Real charcoal, real galbi, grilling time~

The color is absolutely mouthwatering... flipping the meat frequently with quick, practiced hands so the marinade doesn't burn!

Finally, a taste of the fully cooked galbi. And the verdict? Well, what can I even say — moist and juicy galbi with a sauce that's just the right amount of sweet, deeply infused with charcoal smokiness... T_T Manpo Garden's handmade galbi is seriously, properly delicious.

Free naengmyeon: chilled-broth or spicy, your choice

The generosity of Manpo Garden's lunch special doesn't end there. After the galbi, you get naengmyeon (cold noodles) to refresh your palate — and it's free! You can choose between bibim (spicy mixed) and mul (cold broth) naengmyeon. The sauce on the bibim naengmyeon is quite spicy, so it's recommended for those who like heat! The broth on the mul naengmyeon was refreshingly cool and not too sweet — really good.

Dessert corner: puffed rice snacks, ice cream and coffee

After finishing the meal, you can use the ppeongtwigi (puffed rice snack), ice cream, and coffee corner set up by the entrance. There's a machine that pops the rice snacks fresh on the spot — if your timing is right and you catch one straight off the machine, the crunchy texture is really, really good!

After scooping ice cream into a paper cup like this,

using the puffed rice snack as a spoon alongside the ice cream is dessert heaven! Manpo Garden even nails the dessert perfectly. This place... just gives you everything for a mere ₩19,000 lunch special. If it were in my neighborhood, I'd want to visit once a week.

Is the Manpo Garden lunch special worth a second visit?

Manpo Garden even keeps its restrooms impeccably clean. This is my honest review from a second visit to Manpo Garden's Yangju location. The food's taste and quality are so satisfying, the staff are kind, and parking is convenient — there's no reason not to go. I'd strongly recommend this hidden gem in Yangju to anyone living nearby! In particular, the weekday-only lunch special offers amazing value, so if you can visit on a weekday, definitely make sure to take advantage of it.